Louisville-area doctor chokes black 18-year-old woman for not social distancing to his satisfaction

A Louisville-area doctor could face charges for singling out and physically attacking a young black woman in a dispute over social distancing.

The older man was walking with a woman when they encountered a group of younger women over the weekend at the Kentucky city's Norton Commons amphitheater, and a video of the encounter shows him approaching the group, reported WDRB-TV.

“We are leaving," one of the younger women tells the doctor. "Please let’s not cuss at each other.”

The doctor, who has not been identified in news reports because he has not yet been charged, points to one woman and calls her an "a**hole" before shoving her.

“What the f*ck is your problem?" another woman says. "You do not touch her.”

The man then shoved one of the white women to the ground and then drops to the ground to choke the only black woman in the group.

"Seriously, get off of her," a woman says.

A second video shows a younger man approach the doctor, who lets the young woman go as the group shouts at him.

"You just assaulted a human being, a child," a woman says.

A police report shows the 18-year-old victim suffered minor injures when the man choked her and "impeded her breathing," and he could face a felony charge of first-degree strangulation.

Investigators said the incident began as a dispute over social distancing related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Kentucky's Gov. Andy Beshear has instituted a statewide "healthy at home" order encouraging residents to remain at home and to maintain six feet distances if outdoors or engaged in necessary work or services.

“Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way," Louisville Metro Police said in a statement. "We ask people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns.”

The suspect has been identified as a physician for Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants in nearby New Albany, Indiana, and he was placed on administration leave while the incident was investigated.